# What is the best long term, no maintenance, humidor?



## JargonScott (Jan 28, 2014)

Howdy folks,

This is my first post, so if there is a thread that you can point me to that addresses my questions, that would be much appreciated. 

I work out of state and I am usually gone for 2-4 weeks at a time. Currently I have a 150 ct desktop humidor with about 75 cigars and a Cigar Oasis xl. I have more sticks on the way, and I can see that I will very soon be looking for a bigger humi, specifically I would like to start aging full boxes. 






The Cigar Oasis is new (I am at work now, my first trip since I installed the thing), so I am still waiting to see how it works for me. The reviews I have read on the Cigar Oasis have certainly been 

mixed, but that seemed to be my best option at the time, and I had a gift card :banana: 



I have done a fair amount of research on wineadors, and the more I read, the more I think that's probably the direction I am headed. However, before I pull the trigger I wanted to see if I could tap into the collective knowledge here. 

My questions are:
1) Do any of you have similar situations where you are away from your humi's for long stretches, if so what solutions work for you?

and

2) What would you recommend for a "set-it-and-forget-it" humidor where I can fit at least a 6-10 full cigar boxes for the purposes of aging?

Any input will be much appreciated, I look forward to hearing from you all!

-Nate


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## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

Given the number of members here at puff with wineadors, it is a safe bet that the wineador is a good option. 

As for the Oasis, I had no luck with mine, The ambient RH here in the swamp is almost always at or above 70% so my humidifier needs to keep the RH down. M oasis only added moisture and I needed a way to reduce. I use HF beads, kitty litter or Boveda packs and sometimes a combo of these to keep my rh at or below 65%


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## Tobias Lutz (Feb 18, 2013)

A winedor or a Tupperware humidor for two reasons. They are not made of materials that absorb moisture and therefore will maintain consistent Rh without the constant babysitting and they are more likely to stay "airtight" since they are constructed of materials that don't experience expansion and contraction which will always compromise your seal to some degree. The only desktop I have that I would trust with putting some Bovedas in and not opening it for 6 months is my Ammodor. That’s simply because the rubber gasket is 100% sealed and once the cedar lining is seasoned, it holds like a champ.


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

A cooler with beads and you are good to go.
Keep in a room that is between 60 and 70 degrees.....and done


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## huskers (Oct 2, 2012)

Fuzzy said:


> Given the number of members here at puff with wineadors, it is a safe bet that the wineador is a good option.
> 
> As for the Oasis, I had no luck with mine, The ambient RH here in the swamp is almost always at or above 70% so my humidifier needs to keep the RH down. M oasis only added moisture and I needed a way to reduce. I use HF beads, kitty litter or Boveda packs and sometimes a combo of these to keep my rh at or below 65%





Tobias Lutz said:


> A winedor or a Tupperware humidor for two reasons. They are not made of materials that absorb moisture and therefore will maintain consistent Rh without the constant babysitting and they are more likely to stay "airtight" since they are constructed of materials that don't experience expansion and contraction which will always compromise your seal to some degree. The only desktop I have that I would trust with putting some Bovedas in and not opening it for 6 months is my Ammodor. That's simply because the rubber gasket is 100% sealed and once the cedar lining is seasoned, it holds like a champ.





asmartbull said:


> A cooler with beads and you are good to go.
> Keep in a room that is between 60 and 70 degrees.....and done


All solid advise.


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## GoJohnnyGo (Nov 19, 2011)

Im also a cooler with beads kind of guy. I travel frequently and never worry about my smokes because my cooler and pelican case (wasn't using it so I started putting cigars in it) humidors hold solidly. I have a repurposed cigar box humidor ( very solid box ) that I smoke from and it keeps drying out in these winter months.


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## Merovius (Sep 11, 2013)

Tobias Lutz said:


> The only desktop I have that I would trust with putting some Bovedas in and not opening it for 6 months is my Ammodor.


Ha! Those things are sweet, I need one


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## Wallbright (Jan 2, 2011)

As others have said a cooler is the best zero maintenance option. Just put some beads in it and you are good to go.


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

As everyone already said coolers or winadors are perfect for long term storage, but in reality even a desk-top humidor should be able to go 3 months or more with out babysitting. I usually have to recharge my beads in all of the humidors no more that 3 times a year, but mostly two.


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## MDSPHOTO (Sep 10, 2013)

What is the best long term, no maintenance, humidor?

The only one I know of is to live next door to a B&M.


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## JargonScott (Jan 28, 2014)

Thanks for all the responses!

I have a fairly large square cooler that I don't really use, and I have thought about converting that to a coolador. My concern is air circulation. The seal seems to be basically airtight on it. for those of you who use a cooler without an oasis, how do you deal with circulation? The cooler I have isn't the biggest one on the market but I can still see keeping even RH throughout as a potential problem. 

Nate


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## LGHT (Oct 12, 2009)

I've had my beverage cooler with the same few pounds of beads in it for 8+ years. It's been rock solid every since. I just add distilled water ever other month or so and that's it. I think the key is having it in a location that's around 65-75 all the time which my home is.


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## JargonScott (Jan 28, 2014)

LGHT said:


> I've had my beverage cooler with the same few pounds of beads in it for 8+ years. It's been rock solid every since. I just add distilled water ever other month or so and that's it. I think the key is having it in a location that's around 65-75 all the time which my home is.


I forgot to say, that's my big issue is temp variation. I live in an apartment above a detached garage in Montana. Winters get well into the negative temps F and it's hard to keep the place cool in the summer. And the windows are all roll-out casements so AC isn't really an option. I really like the idea of a cooler just because I could probably convert the one I have for simply the price of the beads. I suppose I could bring the cooler to work with me but I think it would be a pain to drag it around all the time.


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## 455 Punch (Nov 24, 2013)

Circulation should not be needed. The humidity everywhere in the cooler will reach equilibrium with the beads.


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## LGHT (Oct 12, 2009)

JargonScott said:


> I forgot to say, that's my big issue is temp variation.


If that's the case you may want to look at a wine cooler or something else that will at least make an attempt to stabilize your temps. I don't think a cooler full of beads is going to help much if it's temps go from negative to hot.


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## TJB (Dec 10, 2012)

I think the cheapest is tupperware, if you have the money to burn a wineador and you will have temp control as well. Can use passive humidifier with each method.


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